2

My mother dropped me off at school and waved goodbye at me. I stared at my little brother, Kyle. He was only seven and could not wrap his fingers around why he was not allowed back in school.

All children younger than thirteen had been instructed to school from home. The government said none of them was smart enough to be on school ground yet.

"It isn't fair, I'm tired of staying at home." Kyle scoffed, folding his arms across his chest as our mother attempted to leave school ground.

"Kyle, you are so young, you could say a lie unconsciously. Mommy has told you several times, lying kills now." She sighed, tapping her manicured fingers against the steering wheel.

"But we could at least try not to." He drew his lips into a pout. I wished I could be in his shoes. I still thought it was unsafe and that the government was not trying enough. They could find a solution if they tried.

"Just say bye to your sister so we can leave." My mother said instead.

"Bye Ariyah, buy me some corn dog!" He sounded cheery at the latter.

I wasn't going to get him a corn dog. Usually to make him feel better, I always assured him that I would but I could no longer lie and so I remained silent, turning around to leave.

*

The school felt a lot different. The environment was choking. I had the fear that every word I attempted to speak was nothing but a lie.

I opened my locker so I could get it in order. A blonde kid with freckles on the bridge of his nose chuckled to his other friend, "hey, do you think our maths teacher is going to die or something?"

"I don't know Bradford." The shorter brunette, leaning against another locker responded.

"Math is our first class today so I guess we are just about to find out." He slammed his locker shut and both boys proceeded to their classroom. "All those lies about using maths after we graduate, we will find out just how true that is." He rolled his eyes.

I heaved another sigh. I gently closed my locker and turned around on my heels to leave. The air was almost drained from my lungs as soon as I met the gaze of Jane. "Hey there!" She beamed. How could she still sound excited?

It was more of doom to me. At the very least, it was proof that she was alive and well.

She pulled me in for a hug, not caring whether or not I approved of it. "Ariyah! I was so worried something had happened to you. I tried to call you all through the month, you never answered for once." She was right. I had ignored every single text or calls from my friends.

She noticed my lack of response and drew me closer to her, squinting her eyes at me. "What's wrong?" She called, placing her hands on my shoulders.

I gently brushed them off with a sigh. I wanted so bad to say 'nothing', but then that would be a lie so I instead turned around on my heels to leave.

She followed after me. "What? Did I do or say something wrong?"

I increased my walking pace, hoping she would leave me alone.

"Ariyah." She forcefully turned me around with a slight pull of my shoulder. "Don't tell me this is what I think it is." She folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head at me like I was some sort of nuisance.

"Please, don't tell me you have decided to stay mute for as long as the liar gas is out there." She said in a doubt. She gasped, widening her eyes after the realization that her words could be the truth.

"Ariyah, if you go down this path, you will barely have anyone to talk to, are you really going to let something like this rule your life? I mean, we are all going to die someday, this is just that time where you have got to live everyday like it's your last." She gestured with a movement of her fingers, shook her head miserably, then left my presence. "Pathetic."

I wanted to call her back. I wanted to tell her not to leave me, and that I did not want to go through this path but my mouth did not succumb. I stood still and sighed. She never had anxiety like I did. She did not understand what I felt like.

I shook my head and decided to let it go, proceeding with leaving to my class.

My phone beeped in my school bag, a notification that I had received a text message. I gulped, pulling it out to read its content.

My heart skipped a little when I saw who it was from.

*look behind you* the text had conveyed.

I shook in fear, closing my eyes. I hoped she wouldn't be standing there, but she was.

Grace flashed a grin at me and took steps towards me. This was the major reason I did not want to come to school.

"Baby!" My girlfriend pulled me in for a hug.